Weft-replenishing loom.



H. l. HARMAN.

WEFT REPLENI'SHING LOOM. (Application filed Apr. 18, l1.902.)

f No. 709,440; Patented Sept. l0, 1902.

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i take-u -arrestino devices.

,y f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY 1'. HAREIMAN, oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WEFT-REPLENISHING LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 709,440, dated September 16, 1902..

` Application filed April 18, 1902. Serial No. 103,510. (No model.)

useful `Improvement in Veft-Replenishing Looms. of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

`Looms are commonly provided with thinplace-preventing devices operating in wellknown mannerin connection with the take-up mechanism and brought into action by means of the Weft-fork mechanism when the latter detects absence of the Weftor filling, with `the object in View of preventing the production in the cloth that is being Woven of thin places dueto taking up the cloth for one or more picks after breakage or exhaustion ofthe wef t or filling. Various arrangements of thinplace-preventing devices are known, and the i mode ofoperation varies somewhat in different arrangements.

These different arrangements may all be comprehended for the purposes of `this case under the general term In practice a weft-fork isemployed atene end of the loom only. In looms in which replenishment of the i Working weft-supply is eected automatically when the weft or illing breaks or runs out the weft-fork is located usually at the end ofthe loom opposite that at which the weft geplenishing instrumentalities are located. When breakageor failure of the weft occurs at the time of the iiight of the shuttle toward the weft-fork side of the loom, the weft-fork willpdetect such occurrence immediately after the said pick andwill act accordingly to arrest the taking u p ot' the cloth and bring about the operationof the weft-replenishing instru mentalities; but should the breakage or failure of weft present itself during thelight of the shuttle in the opposite direction the said fact Will not be detected until after the next succeedingr pick toward `the weft-fork side, involving thus a delay or lossof one pick before the taking up of the cloth is arrested and the action of the weftreplenishing instrumentalities is instituted. Inasmuch as the devices Whichare employed in connection with the takc-up are arranged to produce a suspension of the taking up of the cloth corresponding with a fixed number of picks ot' weft and are not adapted to provide for a variable number of picks, it results that when the Wet't breaks or is absent du ring the iiight of the shuttle from the weft-- fork side of the loom to the opposite side a thin place corresponding with the aforesaid difference of one pick of weft is produced in the cloth. It has been essayed to provide means tor preventing the loss of a pick and the formation ofa thin place in the cloth in 'whichever direction the shuttle may be nnov ing when the wefthreaks or runs out. The arrangements which have been devised for the purpose, however, have not to lnyknowledge come into use.

The object of my invention is to produce an improved combination-ol` parts of simple and practical character for attaining the desired result.

My invention is susceptible of embodiment in somewhat-varying forms Without involving departure from the invention in its broader aspects, and with regard to these last it is not limited to the specific construction that is shown in the accompanying drawing, and specifically described in this specification.

The drawing shows in perspective portion of a loom having the perferred embodiment of the invention applied thereto. The loom which is partly shown in the drawing is supposed to be of the general character of that which is presented in United States Letters Patent No. 652,105, `granted to me June 19', 1900, to which reference may be had. Only such parts of the loom are shown as are essential to an understanding of the invention and of the manner of applying the same to a loom.

Having reference to the drawing, the end frame at the change end of the loom is shown in part at a', the breast-beam at a2, the crankshaft at l), and the cam-shaft at c. A magazine such as is employed for containing the reserve weft-supply at the Weft-replenishing end of the loom is shown at o, a reserve-shutlle being indicated at n in position in said magazine adjacent the mouth ot' the latter. At t is :represented a weft-fork occupying the position customarily occupied by the weft.- fork of a Weft-replenishing loom--namely,at

the end of theloom opposite to that at whichl the weft-replenishing instrumentalities are located-and t being the slide carrying the said weft-fork, it being mounted upon the breast-beam a3, as usual, in manner permitting it to move from .front to rear crosswise of the breast-beam. The gooseneck or wefthammer cooperating with the said weft-fork .1f is shown at 153, and the operating-cam for the gooseneck is shown at 153, mounted upon the cam-shaft e. At r is represented portion of the change-shaft, the latter being in operative control of the weft-replenishing instrumentalities through the agency of cams and intermediate connections, as in the Letters Patent aforesaid. The arm r', fast upon the said change-shaft, thepawl or dog 1'3, pivoted upon the said arm, and the independentlydriven ratchet-wheel r4, turning independently of the change-shaft, all may be essentially as in the patent. The controller for the said pawl or dog r3 is indicated at s, the vertical pivot on which said controller turns being Vdesignated s', and 15' being the rod lor connection through which motion is transmitted to the said controller. In the present instance the said rod or connection 156 is joined at its forward'extremity to the arm t4, depending from the rod 153 and fast therewith. The lsaid rod 153 extends across the loom immediately below the breast-beam a3 and is mounted in bearings in connection with the two end frames. An arm 1531, fast upon the said rod 153eXten ds upward adjacent the slide t' of theweft-fork. At o is represented the ratchet of the take-up mechanism, and at '11 the compensating pawl, which cooperates with the said ratchet. The said compensating pawl is of well-known construction and Inode of operation, and these being familiar to those who are skilled in the art I will not describe the same specifically. The rod 153 is provided with an arm 1531, which is in operative engagement with the compensating pawl o'. l

The action of the parts which have thus far been referred to will be obvious. The controller s stands normally in the position in which it is represented in the drawing, holding the engaging portion of the pawl or dog r3 out of the path of rotation of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel r4. When no weft is carried against the weft-fork 15 by the advance of the lay following the flight of the shuttle toward the side of the loom at which weft-fork 15 is located, the engagement of the gooseneck or weft-ham mer 152 with the tail of the weftfork then permitted to take place will cause the slide 15' to be advanced through the action of the gooseneck orweft-hammer, the said slide acting through the arm 1531 to rock the rod 153 and theA arm 154 of the said rod serving to transmit movement through the connection t to the controller s, so as to disengage the said controller from the pawl or dog r3 and permit the engaging portion of the latter to swing into the path of rotation of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 1'4.- The rocking of the rod 153 also serves, through its arm4 1531, to diseny gage the compensating pawl v of the take-up ratchet i), thereby arresting the taking-up action. The dogor pawl r3 havingbeen permitted toassume its engaging posit-ion through the disengagement of the controller therefrom, the next tooth of. the `ratchet-wheel r4 that comes around to the engaging portion of the dog or pawl will take hold of the same,

which will clutch the ratchet-wheel and combined with the thin-place-preventing d'e- Y vices for the purpose of arresting the taklng up of the cloth whenever it detects the absence of weft after theflight of the shuttle toward the change end of the-loom. Thesaid second weft-fork t7 'is also in operative control of the weft-replenishing instrumentalities. Thus the slide 158, disposed in customary manner upon the breast-beam a3 and-upon which the weft-fork 157 is mounted, is arranged to engage with an arm'159, similar to the arm y 1531 and also made fast upon the rod 153, extending across the loom. A weft-hammer or gooseneck 10 is provided in connection with the said weft-fork 157, an operating cam, as 1511, being provided therefor upon the cam-shaft c. The second weft-fork t7 acts to detect absence or breakage of the weft occurring during the pick of the shuttle toward the change end of the loom, and when the same occurs the engagementof the gooseneck or weft-hammer 1510 therewith brings ab'outan immediate disengagement of the compensating pawl c by causing the slide 153 as it is advanced across the breast-beam a3 to bear the arm t3 forwardly and rock the rod 153, raising the arm 31 so as to operate the compensating pawl 'v'. The rocking of the rod 153 thus brought about occasions the disengagement of the controller s from the pawl or dog r3 in the manner which has already been explained in describing the results of the action of the weft-forkt and connected devices when the weft-fork t detects the absence of weft or filling. This release'of the dog or pawl1'3 is operative to instit-utc the action of the weft-replenishing instrumentalities-that is to say, the dog or pawl having thus been released, as soon as the next tooth of the ratchet-wheel r4 comes around to the engaging portion of the dog or pawl the said tooth will take hold of the said engaging portion so as to clutch the ratchetwheel and change-shaft together and set the change-shaftvto rotating. It will be understood that the timing of the teeth of the -ratchet-wheel r4 determines the timing of the replenishing operations. Consequently whichever weft-fork acts to detect the absence VIOO IIO

of weft or filling the Weft-replenishing operationsarefbegun with the same'timinglin the general working of the 1ooin,ralthou,:h the'` taking up ofthe clothis arrested immediately upondetection of the absence of weft or filling by either of the weft-forks.

I claim as my inventioni l. In a weft-replenishing loom,`in combination, weft-replenishing instrumentalities arranged to effect the replenishment of the Working weft-supply, a take-up, weft-forks at opposite ends of the loom, a rod, as i3, extending across the loom and having:r in connection therewith means operated thereby to arrest the taking up and occasion the action of the Weft-replenishing instrumentaliiies, and means operatively connecting said rod with both of said weft-forks whereby said rod is operated when either weft-fork detects the absence of weftor filling.

2. In a weft-replenishing loom, in combination, the `change-shaft, clutch devices for driving the same, a controller for the said `clutch devices, weft-detectors at opposite ends of the loom in operative control of said controller, and thin-place-preventing devices under operative control of both of the said weft-detectors and actuated to arrest the taking up of the cloth when either weft-detector detects the absence of weft or lling.

3. In a weft-replenishing loom, in combination, weft-replenishing instrumentalities,

- a controller, as s, in connection therewith, a

take-up, weft-forks at opposite ends of the loom, 'a rod, as textending across the loom and having-in connection therewith means operated thereby to arrest the taking up, .said rod also having operative connection with said controller, and means operatively lcon- 'necting said rod with both of said weft-forks,

nation, the change-shaft, the toothed wheel and dog, a controller, a take-up, weft-detec tors at opposite ends of said loom, a rod, as t3, extendinr across the loom and having in connection tnerewith a thin-place-preventing device, said rod also having operativeconnection with said controller and both of said weft-works, whereby said rod is operated when either weft-fork detects the absence of weft.

` In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

f HENRY I. HARRIMAN. Witnesses:

CHAs F. RANDALL, WILLIAM A. COPELAND.

A4Corrention in Letters Patent No. A709,440

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 709,440, granted September `16,

`1902, upon the application of Henry I. Harriman, of New York, N. Y., for an improvement jin Weft-Replenishing Looms, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: Page 3, linel 62, the compound Word weftworks should read weft-forks; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein* that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. v

Signed and sealed this 30th day of September, A. D., 1902.

F. I. ALLEN,

Commissioner of Patents.

[SEAL] 

